One-Directional Tag Syndrome
by SoulsinAshes
Summary: Marik and Akefia have been dancing around their feelings for each other for a long time now. Eventually, this leads to sex on multiple separate occasions. The problem is that it's never mentioned after it happens. And as you can imagine, both Marik and Akefia (as well as everyone else) get fed up with this.


**Title:** One-Directional Tag Syndrome

**Author/Artist:** SoulsInAshes

**Character(s) or Pairing(s):** ThiefShipping (Marik/Bakura); mentions of PuppyShipping (Jounouchi/Seto), DeathShipping (Ryou/Malik), PuzzleShipping (Yugi/Yami), ChaseShipping (Hiroto/Ryuji); Mai, Anzu, Mokuba, Shizuka, Ishizu, Odion

**Words:** 1,505

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Infrequent cussing, mention of sexual situations, m/m kissing

**Summary:** Marik and Akefia have been dancing around their feelings for each other for a long time now. Eventually, this leads to sex on multiple separate occasions. The problem is that it's never mentioned after it happens. And as you can imagine, both Marik and Akefia (as well as everyone else) get fed up with this.

**Note:** Human AU in which the yamis have always had their own bodies and Mai, Ishizu, and Odion are high school age but older than the main cast. Yami Bakura is called Akefia Bakura, Yami Marik is called Malik Ishtar, and Yami Yugi is called Atemu Yami. Akefia and Ryou are brothers and Marik and Malik are twins. Akefia and Marik are the older two. Also Malik might seem OOC, but in my headcanon, he's a lot less evil when he's not suppressed or shoved in dark, depressing thoughts. He's more mischievous.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Marik!" "Malik!" "Ishizu!" "Odion!" overlaid on top of one another in various voices.

"Hmm?" I hummed, turning. "Ah, mornin'!"

"Good morning," Ishizu greeted, halting and facing our company.

Odion gave a polite nod and a smile, following suit.

Malik smirked and waved to the group heading our way, comprised of Ryou, Yugi, Atemu, Anzu, Mai, Hiroto and Ryuji bickering as usual (just like an old married couple – why they're not together yet is anyone's guess), Jounouchi, Seto (who had joined the group about three months prior due to his then newfound relationship with Jou), and of course, Akefia.

Or as Malik and Ryou called him, my crush.

Speaking of those two, Ryou had instantly gravitated to Malik, as the two had been going out for about two and a half months now. I was happy for them, really (winning $639 in the group's bet certainly helped matters, not to mention it was my twin and best friend – how could I wish them anything but the best?) – but I didn't really want to deal with romance right now.

Mostly because my own love life was not in prime condition.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Akefia pulled out and flopped down to my side. Both of us were too exhausted and sated to say anything to each other, though I desperately wanted to ask what we just did meant to him, wanted to ask if he'd be here in the morning._

_I woke in my bed naked and cold._

_And alone._

_He left._

_Again._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He'd probably done it about five times. He never stayed.

He also never mentioned it.

I would try to subtly bring us to a position where we could talk about it, but he would just as subtly steer it away.

I just didn't know what I was gonna do.

"Hey, Marik!" Jou exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of my face. "You awake?"

I blinked, jolted out of my daze. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to my birthday party."

"Ah, sure. When is it?"

"Friday. For once it's on my actual birthday! It's from 6-10 at Yugi's place."

"Gotcha. I'll be there."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Friday came quicker than expected, and without much event.

I gave three sharp knocks on the door to the game shop, accompanied by my sister and brothers.

A small creak was heard as the door opened. "Hey, guys!" Ryou greeted.

"Hey, Ryou." "Hello." A nod. A smirk and a grab of the hand.

I sighed. "I never knew you'd be the couple-y type, Malik."

"You'd be surprised at what you don't know about me."

"I'd ask, but I don't think I wanna know." I shook my head. "Anyways, come on, get out of the way! It's freezing out here!"

"You just want to talk to _Akefia,_ right?"

"Shut up and get out of the way!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

One thing led to another, and the party staple came out.

Mai stood up. "Let's play Truth or Dare!" she exclaimed.

"Good idea," Malik affirmed, grinning.

Shit.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

We'd played a few rounds and managed to get Anzu to eat mustard straight, Mokuba to wear makeup (the girls had a field day on this one), Ishizu to admit she's never even been kissed (they never asked me, but my answer would've been the same), Malik to flash his ass out the nearest window (which was my idea), and Mai to let an ice cube melt in her underwear, among other things.

Then my turn came around. My truths/dares were pretty tame before this, but this time, Malik was the one deciding my fate.

And he was ready for revenge.

"Truth or dare, Marik?"

Fuck.

"Um…" Neither option seemed very appealing. "D- Truth! I mean truth!"

A wicked smile. "Is your crush in this room, and does he know you like him?"

I pursed my lips. "Yes, he is, and no, he doesn't. Or, well, he will now."

It would be really obvious who I liked. Only seven of the sixteen people in the room were single, two of which were female – Shizuka and Ishizu. Even if I didn't say "he", Shizuka was too young and Ishizu was my sister. Odion was my brother, Mokuba was too young as well, and Hiroto and Ryuji had each other – and I openly tried to get the two together.

I suddenly stood up and ran out of the room.

I heard a voice shout "Marik!" before I shut myself in a random bedroom, sinking down against the wall and crying into my knees.

The door opened. "Marik?" Ryou asked gently.

I looked up, and upon seeing Ryou, I cried even harder.

He shut the door and pulled me into his arms. I gripped his shoulders and bowed my head, outright sobbing into Ryou's shirt as I vented my frustration and insecurity. "What do I do, Ryou?" I gasped. "What the _hell_ do I do?"

He rubbed my back in an attempt to calm me down. "Honestly, I don't know for sure. But I'll help you in any way I can," he assured.

A few minutes passed, and by then, I was only sniffling, but I still felt like shit. "Why?" I managed to whimper. "Why won't he talk about it?"

Ryou sighed. "Despite all his bravado, he's just as scared as you are."

I looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed. "Akefia? Scared?"

He nodded. "He'll be surrounded by muggers at one in the morning in a dark alleyway and face them without fear, but when he has to work with emotions, he doesn't know how to deal and runs for the figurative hills."

"Can… can you get Akefia to the kitchen?"

"Easily. You'll be waiting there, I presume?"

I wiped my tears, stood up, and nodded.

"Very well," he said, getting up himself, "I'll go get him."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

No sooner had he rounded the corner than I forgot everything I had planned to say and instead said five words that had been plaguing my mind since the first time I had awoken alone and cold after a night so hot.

"What am I to you?"

Akefia's eyes widened as he remained, for once, speechless.

I balled my hands into fists. "We can't keep doing this. We can't do this 'friends with benefits' shit." I looked down and lowered my voice. "You know I like you now. You know what _you_ are to _me_. So what am _I_ to _you_?"

The silence stretched for ages. Tears started to stream down the side of my face as my breathing grew ragged.

"…You really want to know?"

I said nothing, concentrating on trying to hold myself together. I couldn't fall apart here. Not now.

Suddenly, his fingers were under my chin, pushing my face up so that my now-open eyes met his and they were waytooclosewhatareyou-

I closed my eyes again and kissed him back, crying now for a wholly different reason.

All too soon, he pulled away, judging my reaction.

"You are my everything," he breathed, pulling me back in again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Ready?"

"Always," Akefia replied, lacing his fingers with mine.

I smiled and rounded the corner, prepared for any reaction they could give our newfound relationship.

**OMAKE:**

And, well, they gave the one I expected.

A chorus of "Finally!"s and "About time!"s greeted us. Ryou and Malik looked especially proud, Jou and Hiroto gave us matching stupid grins and a thumbs-up, Shizuka and Yugi watching with sweet smiles, Ishizu and Odion smiling wistfully… hell, Kaiba even smiled – though it wasn't as rare as it would've been just three months ago: Jou had quite the effect on his boyfriend. Mai, however, wore a smug smirk as she looked at us, then glanced at Yugi.

Wait.

"She won the bet, didn't she?" I asked, shaking my head good-naturedly.

Her smirk grew wider. "You bet I won."

I sat next to her and leaned in, muttering, "How much?"

"659 bucks," she answered. "We all had a lot of money ridin' on you two."

"Not as much as Atemu and Yugi's. Or Jou and Seto's."

"Oh, don't even get me started on those bets."

"A lot of the bets on Atemu and Yugi were measurable in days. Those two took, like, a month and a half."

"Oh, I know! We all underestimated Yugi's naïveté and Atemu's patience when it comes to Yugi!"

"'Cept for Ryou, who won that bet. 898 bucks! The lucky bastard."

"Oh, I know. And then Jou and Seto? Everyone thought they'd take that long – most of 'em thought longer! Even I thought they'd take at least a month!"

"And then they take three days? We all underestimated Jou's impulsiveness and impatience!"

"God, I wish I'd said just a few days! Can't believe Yugi got the second-biggest prize of the betting pools!"

I lowered my voice. "When do you think Hiroto and Ryuji will give in and start going out? People are getting knocked out of their pool left and right!"

"I know! Now it's just Shizuka, Anzu, Akefia, and Atemu left!"

"Marik? Mai? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Ryuji!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**A/N:** For those of you confused about the title, "Tag" comes from Marik chasing after Akefia, "One-Directional" from the fact that it's never the other way around, and "Syndrome" from one of its dictionary definitions: "a predictable, characteristic pattern of behavior, action, etc., that tends to occur under certain circumstances".


End file.
